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Science Circus By The Sea on Tour

Year Awarded

2023

Amount

€29,506

  • Organisation:Circus250 CIC
  • Audience:Primary Students
  • Format:Informal Education
  • Location:Donegal, Mayo
  • Topic:STEAM

Project Summary

Science Circus by the Sea on Tour takes science engagement to rural West Coast communities where science capital is low. It builds on the success of the first Science Circus by the Sea Festival (Nov 22) to bring conversation and create engaging, relevant, excellent science experiences in rural communities, in the circus tradition of bringing activities to you, rather than you having to come to ‘us’. It focusses on concerns shared by these coastal communities – the welfare of the ocean, erosion, construction/engineering and the environment. The Tour takes a number of well-tested, popular and established science shows (eg Juanita’s Big Problem on plastic pollution), interactive acts (eg Fishy ‘n Dishy on fish stock) and workshops (eg Ecobricks on reinventing waste) to address these. Our company is majority women artistes – both scientists and circus performers – who provide positive, stereotype-smashing examples of who counts as a scientist. All the Tour’s activities take place in local spaces – community halls, pubs, GAA pitches, beaches. All use the Science Circus by the Sea model of following every performance with an open conversation in which anyone can take part. All shows, workshops and walkabouts are interactive, requiring audience participation at a variety of levels. They are all fun.

The Tour takes place over a series of 4 weekends in May/June 2024, building on existing relationships and forging new ones. We’ll return to Inishturk and Inishboffin with new and enhanced experiences, and take the Tour to Belmullet, the Curraun peninsula and Ballycroy for the first time.

Evaluation Findings

Challenges:
Challenge 1: Marketing in Irish without an Irish speaker
Cause: Lack of language skills within the team
Solution: Partnered with local community members as translators; committed to hiring an Irish speaker when funding allows
Tip for Applicants: Leverage local knowledge and plan for inclusive team development
Challenge 2: Misaligned planning timelines with local communities
Cause: Professional teams preferred long-term planning; local communities were used to informal, short-term approaches
Solution: Recognized the gap and co-developed the Rural Producers Support Scheme with Mayo County Council to build local event planning capacity
Tip for Applicants: Be flexible, understand local rhythms, and invest in community capacity-building for sustainable partnerships

Findings:
1. Circus250 brought new science activities and families to Ballycroy, increasing local access to science events.
2. Topics like plastic pollution and early childhood science were especially relevant to the community.
3. Families appreciated not needing to travel far for quality educational activities.
4. The event had strong attendance and received very positive feedback.
5. Ballycroy Tidy Towns expressed interest in continuing the partnership.
6. Circus250 has been invited back to Ballycroy, Ceathrú Thaidhg, and Glengad in 2025 and will develop follow-on programmes.

Learnings:
1. Rural communities are eager for hands-on, interactive science activities.
2. Long-term goal is to transfer ownership of these activities to the communities.
3. The Rural Producers Scheme with Mayo County Council is an initial step toward this goal.
4. Both national and local partnerships are equally valuable and bring unique strengths.
5. Repeat invitations require a dedicated, evolving programme for returning communities.
6. Future programmes should be co-developed with the communities themselves..